Apparatus and methods for holding a thin flexible material

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for securely holding a flexible material has a first securing member has a first outer circumference and a first shape, and a second securing member having a second inner circumference and a second shape Wherein the second inner circumference is about the same size, or slightly smaller than, the first member&#39;s first outer circumference, such that the second member positioned upon the first member creates static friction between the first outer circumference and the second inner circumference. The apparatus has a backing support that is in physical connection with, or incorporated as part of, either the first member or the second member. A thin flexible material, such as a plastic waste bag, placed between the first member and the second member is secured by positioning the first member and second member together, the positioning and static friction not shearing the flexible material. The static friction between the first outer circumference and the second inner circumference secures and immobilizes the thin flexible material contained within.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates in general to holding flexible materials.This application relates in particular to securely holding flexiblematerials such as plastic bags, clothe, mesh bags, and other suchreceptacles.

BACKGROUND DISCUSSION

A variety of solutions exist to securing thin flexible materials such aswaste bags. Waste bags for instance can be held with rigid receptacles,the waste bags lining the receptacles. Mounted hooks that attached todrawers have extended hooks or rectangular openings to hold either bagloop handles or the perimeter of the bag in an attempt to keep bags openand accessible. This application relates to another approach.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus and methods forsecurely holding a flexible material. In one aspect the apparatus has afirst securing member having an outer circumference and a first shape.The apparatus has a second securing member having an inner circumferenceand a second shape, wherein the inner circumference is about the samesize, or slightly smaller than, the first member's outer circumference,such that the second member positioned upon the first member createsstatic friction between the outer circumference and the innercircumference. A backing support is in physical connection with, orincorporated as part of, either the first member or the second member. Athin flexible material placed between the first member and the secondmember is secured by positioning the first member and second membertogether, the positioning and static friction not shearing the flexiblematerial. Static friction between the first outer circumference and thesecond inner circumference secures and immobilizes the thin flexiblematerial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, schematically illustrate embodiments of thepresent disclosure, and together with the general description givenabove and the detailed description of preferred methods and embodimentgiven below, serve to explain principles of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an apparatus of the present disclosurefor securely holding a flexible material comprising: a first securingmember having a outer circumference and a first shape, a second securingmember having a inner circumference and a second shape, wherein theinner circumference is about the same size, or slightly smaller than,the first member's outer circumference, such that the second memberpositioned upon the first member creates static friction between thefirst outer circumference and the second inner circumference; a backingsupport that is in physical connection with, or incorporated as part of,either the first member or the second member; wherein a thin flexiblematerial placed between the first member and the second member issecured by positioning the first member and second member together, thepositioning and static friction not shearing the flexible material; andwherein the static friction between the first outer circumference andthe second inner circumference secures and immobilizes the thin flexiblematerial contained within.

FIG. 1B is a partial cross-section view of that seen in FIG. 1Aproviding further detail of the first member and the second member.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of that seen in FIG. 1A wherein, the thingflexible material, here a waste bag, is placed between the first memberand the second member, shown securely immobilized.

FIG. 3A is a plan view of another apparatus of the present disclosure,wherein the first member has a reference member and the second memberhas an opening and index position for the reference member whereinrotational positioning of the first member relative to the second memberdraws the first member toward the second member and indexes thereference member and creates static friction between the first andsecond member.

FIG. 3B is an orthogonal view, partly in cross-section, of that seen inFIG. 3A, providing further detail of the first member and the secondmember.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of yet another apparatus of the presentdisclosure, wherein the first member and the second member have threads.

FIG. 5A is a plan view of yet another apparatus of the presentdisclosure, wherein the first securing member drawn over the secondsecuring member creates static friction.

FIG. 5B is a cross-section view of that seen in FIG. 5A, providingfurther detail of the yet another apparatus.

FIG. 6A is a plan view of an apparatus of the present disclosure,wherein the backing is oval.

FIG. 6B is a plan view of an apparatus of the present disclosure,wherein the backing has the same footprint as the second securingmember.

FIG. 6C is a plan view of an apparatus of the present disclosure,wherein the backing is Y-shaped.

FIG. 7A is a plan view of an apparatus of the present disclosure,wherein the first shape is square with rounded corners

FIG. 7B is a plan view of an apparatus of the present disclosure,wherein the first shape and the second shape are different.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like components are designated bylike reference numerals. Methods of manufacture and various embodimentsof the present disclosure are described further herein below.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, an apparatus 10 for securely holding aflexible material, such as a waste bag, comprises a first securingmember 12 having a outer circumference 14 and a first shape, a secondsecuring member 20 having a inner circumference 22 and a second shape,wherein inner circumference 22 is about the same size, or slightlylarger than, first securing member's 12 outer circumference 14, suchthat second member 20 positioned upon first member 12 creates staticfriction between outer circumference 14 and inner circumference 22. Abacking support 18 is in physical connection with second securing member20.

Operationally, a thin flexible material is placed between the firstsecuring member and the second securing member. Positioning the firstsecuring member and the second securing member, with the thin flexiblematerial between creates static friction that immobilizes the thinflexible material, without shearing it. In some cases, the thin flexiblematerial is a waste receptacle such as a plastic bag. It will beunderstood by one skilled in the art that all materials will break undera certain strain or load. For purposes of the disclosure, “withoutshearing” means not shearing the thin flexible material presuming thereis no strain or no load. For example, trash or items placed within areceptacle or bag.

Here, first securing member 12 is a hallow cylinder. Outer circumference14 is defined by an inner sidewall 16 of the first securing member.Second securing member 20 is a cylinder with a tapered flange 26 at thetop of the hallow cylinder. Inner diameter 22 is defined by the outerradius of flange 26. Second securing member is shown hallow with acavity 24 in this example, but in other examples can be made solid. Inthis configuration, first securing member 12 is a female receptacle andsecond member 20 is a male connector. Inner circumference 22 is slightlylarger than outer circumference 14 providing an interference fit betweenthe securing members. Making second member from a deformable materialallows tapered flange 26 to be deformable. The interference fit betweenthe inner circumference 22, defined by tapered flange 26, and outercircumference 14, defined by the inner sidewall 16, allows sufficientstatic friction to secure the flexible material and prevents theflexible material from shearing. An interference fit between deformablematerial can be beneficial for securing thin flexible materials such asplastic bags. While this example shows an interference fit, aninterference fit is not necessary. One skilled in the art willunderstand that the inner circumference and the outer circumference sizeand shape will vary depending on the application. Depending on theapplication, the flexible material may be thicker or thinner.

Other features include a tab 19 on first member 12 that allowsconvenient finger access to position first securing member 12 ontosecond securing member 20 as well as removing first securing member 12from second securing member 20. A flat flange 28 extrudes radially fromthe second securing member between tapered flange 26 and backing support18. Flat flange 28 provides a stop for first securing member 12preventing. A hinge 30, here attached to flat flange 28 connects firstmember 12 and second member 20. In this embodiment, both the first shapeand second shape are the same and circular, and rotation reference isnot required, although in other embodiments other shapes, described infurther detail hereinbelow, can be implemented. In such embodimentsrotational reference can be provided by the hinge. In someconfigurations the apparatus can provide audible sound that conveyssuccessful positioning of the first member in relation to the secondmember.

Referring to FIG. 2, a plan view shows an apparatus 40 having that shownin FIG. 1A with a thin flexible material 42 placed between first member12 and second member 20. Here, thin flexible material 42 is a waste bagwith a looped handle 44A and a looped handle 44B. The waste bag issecured by positioning thin flexible material 42 between first member 12and second member 20 and pressing the two members together therebycreating the static friction. The static friction between the firstouter circumference and the second inner circumference secures andimmobilizes the thin flexible material contained within without shearingthrough the material.

Although, the waste bag shown has handles, one skilled in the art caneasily see that the apparatus can be used with any type of plastic bag,waste bag or other flexible container such as a cloth or mesh tote bag.By using the top portion of the waste bag, placing items or waste withinthe waste bag encourages the waste bag to remain open allowing access.In the current illustrated examples, conveniently, both looped handle44A and 44B are left free and accessible to aid in the installation orremoval of the waste bag. In cases where a receptacle is expected tocarry a heavy load, and the thin flexible material is susceptible toshearing or stretching, the thin flexible material can be folded uponitself when placed between first securing member 12 and second securingmember 20.

The apparatus is preferably mounted onto, or incorporated as part of, alarger structure, which for purposes of the present disclosure is termeda substrate. The substrate can be virtually any structure includinginterior or exterior walls, house furnishing, land vehicles (including acar, truck, bus, or recreational vehicle), water vehicles, or aircraft.The apparatus can be mounted with adhesive, mechanical, or other suchmeans. Adhesives include temporary removable adhesive strips, air-dryglue, 2-part epoxy, UV activated glue, and pressure activated glues. Thebacking material can include thru-holes for mechanical means includescrews and bolts, or incorporate clips, hooks, or other mechanicalmounting features. Other means include magnetism, suction cups, orVelcro.

The apparatus described above, and those described below, can be madefrom a variety of materials and manufactured by a variety of processes.In general, the apparatus can be made from any type of plastic, wood, ormetal and optionally finished with surface coatings or texturing. Insome examples, hybrids are used wherein the first member, the secondmember, or the backing material are made from different materials eitherfor physical or aesthetics purposes. For instance, the first member canbe made from metal and the second member can be made from plastic orvice versa. Alternatively, the backing material can be can be made witha material to aesthetically match a vehicle interior, house furnishingor fixtures.

The apparatus can be manufactured by any means including handcrafted,machined, molded, 3D printed, or combinations thereof. Plastic injectionmolding is particularly well suited for manufacturing the apparatus involume. For instance, the apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B iswell suited for monolithic manufacture via additive printing or plasticinjection molding. Suitable plastics (or polymers) materials includeABS, ABS/PC, CPVC, ETPU, HDPE, LCP, LDPE, LLDPE, PA, PBT, PC, PC/PBT,PEEK, PEI, PET, PETG, PMMA, POM, PP, PPE/PS, PPSU, PS, PSU, PTFE, PVC,SB, and UHMW.

In one such embodiment similar to that shown in FIG. 2, the apparatuswas made from a polymer. The first securing member and the secondsecuring member had a diameter of about 1″ and height from the backingmaterial was about ½″. A ¾ mil plastic bag was positioned between thefirst and second member and secured by positioning the first securingmember and second securing member together to create static friction.The bag was not sheared. The bag was gradually filled and held 151 bs ofweight before failure of the plastic bag.

Various examples of embodiments in accordance with the presentdisclosure are provided herein below.

Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, an apparatus 60 has a first securingmember 62 and a second securing member 70 attached, the second securingmember physically connected to a backing material 90. A hinge 92connects the first securing member to the second securing member andprovides rotational freedom of the first member relative to the secondmember. First securing member 62 has a reference member 64 attached to acylindrical sidewall 66. The reference member protrudes inwardly fromthe cylinder. An inner circumference 68 is defined by a singlecross-hatched area illustrated on first securing member 62. Secondsecuring member 70 has an opening 72 wherein reference member 64 fitswithin. An outer circumference 78 is defined by a double cross-hatchedarea illustrated on the second securing member.

Referring to FIG. 3B in particular, positioning the first securingmember down upon the second securing member with the reference memberand the opening aligned allows the reference member to pass through theopening. Rotation of the first member relative to the second memberdraws the first member upon the reference member sliding along a ramp80. The reference member falls into an index 82 and is stopped fromfurther rotation by a stopping block 84. Drawing the first member andthe second member together and indexing the reference member creates andsustains a static friction between the inner circumference 68 and outercircumference 78, thereby securing and immobilizing any flexible thinmaterial placed between.

Referring to FIG. 4, an apparatus 100 has a first securing member 102and a second securing member 120. Second securing member 120 is attachedto a backing material 130. A hinge 132 is secured to backing material130 and attached to first securing member 102 by a mounting feature 136that allows rotational freedom. First securing member 102 has a seriesof threaded features including a thread 104A and a thread 104B shown.Second securing member 120 also has a series of threaded features with athread 122A and a thread 122B shown. The first securing member's threadsand the second securing member threads are complimentary and uponpositioning and rotation, draw the first member and the second membertogether, thereby creating a static friction between an innercircumference 128 and an outer circumference 108.

Referring to FIG. 5, an apparatus 140 has a first securing member 142and a second securing member 160. First member 142 is attached to abacking material 144 by a flexible hinge 146. Second member 160 isattached to backing material 132. The first members shape has an outercircumference 148 defined by a shelf that resides at the bottom of thehollowed cylindrical first securing member. Outer circumference 148 hasa semi-circular first shape that has an opening 150 as a result of atapered end 152 of the semi-circular first shape. Second member 160 is asolid tapered cylindrical piece, with an inner circumference 178 definedby the narrowest cross-section of the cylinder, wherein the taperedcylinder increases in circumference on either side of the innercircumference.

Operationally, the thin flexible material is place over the top ofsecond securing member 160 and first securing member 142 is drawn overthe second securing member by moving the first securing memberorthogonal to the second securing member's cylindrical axis with theinner circumference and outer circumference aligned. Moving the membersin this manner deforms at least the tapered ends 152 and allows theouter circumference to overlap and partially enclose the innercircumference to create the static friction.

It will be recognized to those skilled in the art that a variety ofother geometries and shapes can used for the first securing member,second securing member, and backing material. For instance, the backingmaterial can be larger or smaller dependent on the application and load.The backing material can have the same footprint as the first or thesecond member. Various geometries for the backing material can be used.Referring to FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, and FIG. 6C, various geometries ofbacking are shown with the first and second member of that shown in FIG.1A. FIG. 6A shows an apparatus 180 with an oval backing 182. FIG. 6Bshows an apparatus 190 with a rectangular backing 192 that has the samewidth as the first and the second member. FIG. 6C shows an apparatus 200with a Y-shaped backing 202. Similarly, the first and second member canbe different sizes and geometries either for aesthetics or for therequisite static friction required according to the application load.Referring to FIG. 7A, an apparatus 210 has first securing member 212 andsecond securing member 214 that are square shaped with rounded corners.This shape, among other geometries are suitable for the same mechanismsdescribed in FIG. 1A and FIG. 5A. Referring to FIG. 7B, an apparatus 220has a first securing member 222 and a second securing member 224attached to a backing material 226. Here the first securing member has around shape and the second securing member has a 10-pointed star shape,the point of the star defining the first inner circumference.

From the description of the present invention provided herein oneskilled in the art can manufacture the apparatus and practice themethods in accordance with the present disclosure. Those skilled in theart to which the present invention pertains will recognize that whileabove-described embodiments and method of manufacture are exemplifiedusing particular materials, others may be combined using theseembodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Although some of the embodiments explained above have certainsymmetry one skilled in the art will recognize that such symmetry is nota requirement. In summary, the present invention is described above interms of particular embodiments. The invention, however, is not limitedto the embodiments described and depicted herein. Rather, the inventionis limited only by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for securely holding a flexiblematerial comprising: a first securing member having an outercircumference and a first shape; a second securing member having aninner circumference and a second shape, wherein the second innercircumference is about the same size, or slightly smaller than, thefirst securing member's first outer circumference, such that the secondsecuring member positioned upon the first securing member creates staticfriction between the outer circumference and the inner circumference; abacking support that is in physical connection with, or incorporated aspart of, either the first member or the second member; wherein the firstsecuring member and the second securing member are configured such thata thin flexible material placed between the first securing member andthe second securing member is secured by positioning the first securingmember and second securing member together, the positioning and staticfriction not shearing the flexible material; and wherein the staticfriction between the first outer circumference and the second innercircumference secures and immobilizes the thin flexible material.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first securing member's first shape iscylindrical.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the innercircumference is a flanged member.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinthe first securing member and the second securing member are the sameshape.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first securing member isa female receptacle and the second securing member is a male connector.6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first securing member and thesecond securing member are threaded.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first securing member has a reference member and the secondsecuring member has an opening and index position, wherein the referencemember fits with the opening and wherein rotational positioning of thefirst securing member relative to the second securing member draws thefirst securing member toward the second securing member and indexes thereference member and creates static friction.
 8. The apparatus of claim7, wherein the second securing member has a stopping block and an indexthat is 90 degrees from the opening relative to the center of the secondsecuring member.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first securingmember's first shape is a hallow cylinder with the outer circumferencedefined by a shelf with an open end, the second securing member's secondshape a solid tapered cylinder wherein the second inner circumference isdefined by the area having the narrowest cross-section of the taperedcylinder with increasing circumference on either side of the secondinner circumference, wherein the first circumference can be drawn overthe second circumference by moving the first securing member orthogonalto the second securing member's cylindrical axis, wherein the firstsecuring member deforms to allow the first outer circumference tooverlap and partially enclose the second inner circumference to createstatic friction.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising anadhesive layer that is attached to the backing material, the adhesiveallowing attachment of the backing material to a substrate.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the adhesive is temporary and removable.12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backing support has thru-holesfor mounting.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backing supporthas the same footprint as the first securing member, the second securingmember, or both.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstsecuring member's position on the backing support is asymmetrical. 15.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a monolithicstructure.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is madefrom materials comprising plastic, wood, metal, or combinations thereof.17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thin flexible material is awaste bag.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hook inphysical connection to the backing material, the first securing member,the second securing member, or combinations thereof.
 19. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the backing support is incorporated as part ofanother apparatus.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the otherapparatus is a vehicle console.